Sure, but the available options aren't limited to "mine lithium in Maine" and "do absolutely nothing".
1. Mine lithium 2. Drill oil 3. Do nothing
You have to store energy somehow, even if the entire world shifted to walking everywhere. Goods still need to traverse the world and thus far there hasn't been anything else with a high enough energy density to get close.
The argument being made is that if mining lithium becomes more popular, its likely to lead to advancements that do limit its ecological impact and provide a more sustainable method for storing energy...
Mine somewhere else.
Non-lithium approaches to storing energy.